Now this may seem a bit aggressive saying this in the first state I’ve been to on this trip, but man this state will be tough to top.
I’m a man who also loves Ohio so take my opinion with a grain of salt.
The drive
I’m gonna cut right to the chase here and say this ride was incredible. I had about a 6-and-a-half-hour trip from Ann Arbor to where my friend Garth lives in the upper peninsula, and the ride really flew by.
Firstly, the scenery of Michigan was out of this world. It was just endless rows of trees for basically my entire drive toward the upper peninsula. I stopped at some sand dunes and went for a little dip in Lake Michigan before I crossed the biggest bridge I had ever seen before, the Mackinac Bridge.
While I was slightly concerned for my safety on said bridge, it was such a great experience I had no idea was going to have. I stopped at this little drive-in burger spot right off the bridge and got treated to one of the best burgers I have ever had.
Also, for most of my ride, the speed limit was 75 mph which was the greatest thing I have ever seen, and will definitely bump up the rating for this ride.
With all that being said, I did have to deduct a bit for a good portion of the highway in the UP being one lane which really slowed things down. Also, needing cash for the bridge was tough and thankfully Garth warned me about it. It’s time to get E-ZPass up here it’s time
The ride from Ann Arbor to Escanaba receives a whopping 8.5.
What this trip means to me
I honestly had no idea what to expect when I embarked on this a few days ago. I knew though I wanted to see some old friends, and hopefully make some new ones along the way. I think we are off on the right foot there.
I really wanted to put myself out there more and so far so good on that front.
I grabbed lunch with an old friend from juniors named Fridge after I left Ann Arbor. We haven’t seen each other since 2017 and picked off right where we left off. I have let a ton of friendships go in the past few years, and seeing him and reconnecting meant a ton to me that just because friendships change doesn’t mean that they are over.
I traveled up north to the upper peninsula after this to see one of my closest friends Garth (we also played juniors together). This is another person I haven’t seen in years and seeing his hometown and going out for several drinks was the best.
We went to a couple of bars and found our way to the infamous casino (I lost $9.96) and we just had the best of times.
Everything about Michigan is awesome and I am wondering why this state isn’t in contention for being a top US state. The views, food, and people have all been awesome, and I am excited to spend a bit more time here.
While I’ll save what we got up to today for tomorrows recap blog, it’s safe to say things are good here, and I cannot wait to continue my journey.
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